War and heart crimes
by itsmuse
Summary: Laura Taylor is a promising lawyer involved in a job she starts to hate very soon:covering the war crimes the American Army commits. Laura feels lost in a world where she's all alone, surrounded by rude soldiers and realizing the war's real absurdity. Hopefully, someone may prove her that war has its upsides, too, and she unexpectedly bounds with the men and a redhead Lieutenant
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **_Laura Taylor is a promising lawyer involved in a job she starts to hate very soon: covering the war crimes that the American Army commits during the war. Laura feels lost in a world where she doesn't know anyone, surrounded by rude soldiers and realizing the war's real absurdity. Hopefully, someone may prove her that war has its upsides, too, and she unexpectedly bounds with the men, especially with one redhead Lieutenant. _

**Personal notes: **_I had this story written in my mind for a little while. Actually, I wrote down something one or two weeks ago and finally found the courage to publish it here. Lieutenant (Captain, Major, whatever) Winters is always one of my favorite subject for hypothetical love affairs, I actually don't know why; I guess it's because I have a big crush on Damian Lewis, or because I think the way he is portrayed in the tv show (which is not so far from the way the real Major Winters was) makes him look like a real gentleman, a sort of prince charming, so it's kind of easy to imagine a romantic affair going on with him. _

**Post scriptums:** _Here's __a **story which is only a fi**_**_gment of my imagination__, _**_s__o no offense intended. Actually, I tried to report some real war crimes, but nothing of this "covering the war crimes'' thing is real.__ Second of all, _**_I'm not a native English speaker since I'm Italian so I apologize for some possible grammatical or lexical error_****_; just think I do of my best to avoid most of them. _**

Criticism is always constructive; positive reviews are well-accepted as well J

Here it is, I hope you like this first chapter!

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General Taylor was staring out the window, carefully paying attention to all the cars arriving at the base. The sun was about to rise: it was early morning, and the base already pullulated of cars, trucks and officers rushing here and there, and Taylor knew why. The latest news received from the Italian front were just a pain in the neck. What was worse, was that they had all the eyes focused on them for the next move. That could not happen again. Sure, the war always comes with some downsides, if he could call them that way, but the General knew that some actions would always be remembered, if not persecuted. And now, the world was pointing his finger to the American Army, and Taylor had to admit it had a reason to do so. Fuck that, he thought, why should he even care ? It was _their _mistake, not his. He was sure he would've never made such mistake, he would've never ordered that bombing. Nonetheless, Eisenhower wanted some measures to be taken. Fortunately, he knew exactly what to do. Don't be harsh on him, but some crimes, if you want to call them that way, could not just be avoided to be committed. The whole war thing was a crime itself, for Pete's sake! So, what was it? A bombed little town, two thousands civils dropped dead because of a mistake. Fucking fascists. They asked for it.

Taylor saw two men, officers, shaking their hands not so far from his view, the ones he was impatiently waiting for. The General took the seat behind his desk and cleared his voice, trying to repeat to himself the speech he was about to give to the men. A knock on his door echoed in the big office.

''Enter'' he ordered.

The two men made their way in, taking off their helmets and adjusting what was left of their hair.

''Sir, we rushed here as fast as we could. Good morning, sir'' said the man on the left with brown hair and an aquiline nose ''oh, maybe you hadn't met before. General Taylor, let me introduce you to Colonel Sink, commanding officer of the 506° Regiment.''

''It's an honor to finally get to meet you, sir'' the man with grey hair, visibly older than the other officer, made a step ahead to firmly shake his hand.

''It's a pleasure for me to meet you too, Colonel. I heard great things about what you're doing with your men. They are the future of the American Army, and I'm so proud of your job there.''

''Thank you, sir'' the Colonel's proudness at such words was highly visible when he let himself giving the General a large smile.

''Well'' Taylor exclaimed making his hands clapping '' without other ceremonies, have a seat and I'll tell you why I wanted you both here today.''

''Yes sir'' the two officers answered and took the seats in front of the General.

Taylor thought he had lost the words he had minutely prepared. He was now only able to picture in his mind the reporter's face, clearly Italian, speaking in a forced English accent, talking about _disaster_, _destruction_… Fucking fascists. His forehead frowned and looked at the ceiling while starting to explain to the two officers what was happening in Europe.

''You should already know, but I think I'd better shed some light about the latest hot news. Yesterday morning, our army bombed some kind of cloister in Montecassino, in Italy, where a battalion of Nazi scums were supposed to hide. Conquering Montecassino was, and still is, a necessary move to connect with our forces already settled in Rome. Unfortunately, this small town is settled on a high hill, almost impossible to be walked through. Bombing the cloister seemed the only choice they had. But, some recent information came up, and it turned up that no Nazi was hidden in the monastery, since the priests refused to give them protection. Two thousands civilians were killed during the bombing. Both English and American Generals involved into the operations apologized for the military mistake, and for the attempt to all those poor sorry souls. Obviously, this was not enough to calm the whole situation down, and there are priests telling around that we made it on purpose, and that we all should be persecuted for, you know, our sins.''

The General noticed both officers swallowing hard at his last sentence.

''Sir'', the brown-haired man interrupter sheepishly ''does it mean that…''

''No, no of course. None of us, neither the ones directly involved into the bombing is going to pay. The real problem is the public opinion about this whole thing.'' Taylor sighed heavily, still staring at the ceiling with his tangled fingers. ''Obviously, General Eisenhower want us to take some preventive measures, in order to avoid such scandals in the future, especially when the biggest army deployment is about to take up. Did I made myself clear?'' Taylor looked right to the two officers who exchanged some questioning looks, not really understanding what the General meant by ''preventive measures.''

''Honestly, sir, I don't think none of us has understood what you mean by that.''

Taylor took and heavy breathe. This was the hard part of the topic. What he was about to tell to the two man was completely mad and unfair, but war comes always with some downsides.

''I'm telling you, we are sending lawyers to each division and regiment that is going to be involved into Operation Overlord. These lawyers are going to check for the war crimes that you commit during the operations in Europe, and they're magically going to make them disappear. Or, at least, they're going to make them look smaller than they are.''

The two officers could not believe their ears. That was utterly a cheap shot. That meant hiding the injustices that came along with war, and spitting on their penal code. Above all, such maneuver was a risky one: what if someone came to know it? But the expression on the General's face was serious, and worried as well. The two officers deeply understood why such measure had to be taken: they could be free to take every measure possible to reach for their aim.

''So, General McCauliff: I'm sending to your division one of the greatest lawyer our Nation can claim. He has British origins and he's very conscientious doing his job. He's called Jude Astor. He's going to join your division in a week, since he's temporally involved in a big trial in Los Angeles. You could not ask for more.''

McCauliff gave him a nod, still wavering on the whole situation.

''As far for your regiment, Colonel Sink, I'm sending you a great lawyer as well. She has an eye for every detail, a large knowledge about each Country's law and great forensic abilities. She may even convince you that it was not the American Army to bomb that fucking monastery! ''

''Is this lawyer a woman, sir?'' Sink asked, clearly doubtful at the thought of giving such task to a woman. Taylor leant even more back to his chair and gave Sink a harsh look.

''Colonel, despite her age, she's probably the best you can ask for. She has a great experience in this kind of things. Her name is Laura Taylor. She's my niece. Take care of her, Colonel. And uh, she can be a bit harsh, when it comes to breaking the rules. Make sure you all try to respect them, or she'll give you hell.''

Taylor could see Sink's Adam's apple going up and down.

''Yes sir, I'll take care.''

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She had spent the last hour listening to what was supposed to be a Colonel, trembling in his chair at her view. He definitely knew who she was. She had questioned him about their habits at the regiment, how they treated their men, what kind of strategies they were trying. She needed to know all those things, even though the Colonel clearly doubted it. Everything could be used and seen as a crime, and it was her job to avoid that condition. At the end of the briefing, the Colonel shook her hand firmly, said it was a pleasure to have her with them and that a jeep was waiting outside the base to bring her to the house where she was quartered. He excused himself since he had not found something better, but she said she didn't mind, that she only needed a quiet place to study her books. The young Private took her heavy bags, visibly making a big effort, which made Laura snort at the sight of the weak soldier. She got up from her chair and adjusted her skirt, shook the Colonel's hand again and gave him her back to go away. The ticking of her heels reverberated through the office until she was out of the building, where they started to sink in the muddy ground. Laura made a soft snort of annoyance and quickly got on the jeep, while the young Private who was supposed to bring her to the house where she was quartered, was still struggling to put her heavy bags on the jeep. Laura was about to ask if he needed any help when he finally succeeded in, and jumped into the jeep by her side at the driver seat. The car started up with a loud noise of the engine, and was already off like a shot. He drove for a few miles and stopped in front of a store.

''Here we are, ma'am'' the Private announced with a louisianan accent that she found inexplicably annoying at the moment. She got off the car, just to see the private struggling again with her bags, thus she approached to the trunk to help. They approached a small door next to the store's one and exchanged a questioning look, since none of them knew who was supposed to knock. At the end, Laura gave a gentle knock on the door and waited patiently adjusting the glasses on her nose nervously when a sturdy woman on her 57's, wearing a long blue vest, opened the door and welcomed her with a sweet smile.

''Oh! You must me Laura! You're late, sweetie. Oh, come in!'' the woman said, making a sign to enter. Laura sheepishly made her way in and gave a quick look to the house, which she judged typically English. The Private was right behind her with her bags which he left falling heavily on the floor.

''I'm Miss. Barnes. Nice to meet you, sweetie'' the woman said, giving her another gentle smile.

Laura politely shook her hand to introduce herself ''I'm Laura Taylor, it's a pleasure for me to meet you too. It was very nice of you to host me'' she said, returning her smile.

''Oh, don't even say that! I've always wanted a daughter !''

Laura adjusted her glasses tensely again, since she didn't know how to consider the woman already taking liberties with her. Meanwhile, the private greeted both women and disappeared out the door; the engine's rumble pointing that he had left made Laura feel uncomfortable, since she was now alone with the grey-haired woman that was now making a list of what her fridge contained. Laura said she was not hungry and that she just wanted to take a bath and have a rest. Mss. Barnes nodded and showed her the rest of the small house. Laura could now definitely tell the house was typically English, from the wooden doors to the curtains. Meanwhile,the woman told her that her husband was taking some flowers to their son's grave, who died some years previously. That information made Laura understand why she was already considering her as a daughter and heart stopped a little. Finally, Miss. Barnes left her alone so that she could take her bath. Actually, Laura discovered soon there was not a bathtub, so she could only take a shower. The hottest temperature the water could reach was still too cool on her skin, sending her shivers down her spine. Laura could guess The Barnes didn't belong to a high social class and that she could not ask too much to them. She got out of the shower to cover her wet body with the towels that Miss Barnes gave her. They laid softly on her skin and stopped her freezing. She got out the bathroom and reached for what Miss Barnes claimed to be her room. As she entered, she found a slender, curly, blond man sat on her bed flipping through the pages of her precious law textbooks.

''Who the hell are you?'' Laura yelled in embarrassment and terror, trying to adjust the towel around her body ''what the hell are you doing in my room and with my books!''

''Hey, hey, slow down, chick!'' the man said, giving a last glance to her book and then closing it and standing up ''Miss. Barnes asked me to bring up your bags. Darn it, they were so heavy I could not help but looking inside. I thought you had bombs or something.''

''Well, I suppose you satisfied your hunger of knowledge, now !'' she shot back, letting go of her towel and clearly more concerned about a stranger poking his nose in her affairs.

''Ok, sorry, my fault'' the man said, making a step towards her and raising his hands in excuse ''let's restart anew: I'm Second Lieutenant Harry Welsh. I'm quartered here with The Barnes. And you are?''

''Laura Taylor, lawyer'' she replied quickly, noticing only in that moment the uniform the man was wearing.

''A lawyer? And what brought you here?'' Harry asked giving her a questioning look.

''I'm working for the Army'' she said, as it was the most obvious of the things. Harry gave her a smirk of his mouth, as it was very obvious she was working for the Army, or she wouldn't be quartered there, in a house hosting soldiers.

''And what do you exactly do for the Army, lawyer?''

Laura reached for the night table to finally put her glasses on, quite annoyed by the mocking tone the Lieutenant was using with her ''I detect crimes, try to cover them or try to defend you all, Lieutenant'' she replied with a tad of haughtiness.

''Cool, so I'd better keep you close, uh?''

''I think you'd better behave, instead'' she gave him a harsh look ''and you already seem to lack of manners, since you sneaked into a lady's room and didn't find inappropriate to stay even though if the lady involved has only a towel on.''

Harry gave her a questioning look ''you know, there's nothing unknown under that towel.''

Now clearly upset at the soldier's manners, she pointed at the door and firmly ordered ''Get out!''

''Ok, ok, I'm going.''

Laura followed with her eyes the young Lieutenant getting out of her room and noticed he was unbelievably too skinny to be believed a soldier. She wondered how in the hell they were supposed to win this was with such elements in the Army.

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The following morning, she woke up earlier than what she was supposed to. After getting herself ready she went to the ground floor to notice no one had woken up yet. The lights were turned off when she entered into the kitchen to hopefully find something to have breakfast with when she was taken aback from an undefined figure of a man. She was trying to switch the lights on when the figure did it before her, revealing a tall redhead with blue or green eyes in a uniform that made him look very respectable, giving her a sweet smile while sipping some kind of liquid by a cup.

''Good morning,'' he said, almost whispering '' I see you're already on your feet.''

Laura found herself inexplicably taken aback by such smile that made her legs tremble a little and finding the words to reply seemed impossible.

''Would you like some coffee?'' he chuckled, noticing her disconcert.

''Uh, yes…Yes, I would, please'' she sheepishly said, noticing her stoic self-confidence fading away for no apparent reason, and took a seat on the chair near the table looking at the man in uniform who was now pouring the coffee in another cup.

''Here it is, it's still hot.''

''Thank you.''

''You're welcome'' he replied, giving her another tiny smile that didn't move her as his first did.

''Oh, I forgot the good manners. Let me introduce myself: I'm Lieutenant Winters, but you can call me Dick. And , if you're wondering, I didn't sneak in as thief. I'm quartered here with the Barnes.''

Laura put her cup down and introduced herself in turn ''Nice to meet you, Dick. I'm Laura Taylor, the…''

''Lawyer'' he interrupted ''I was already informed about your arrival. I hope you'll do some good at the regiment and bring back some more discipline.''

''You can bet on it, Dick, that's my job'' she replied, visibly glad he already knew what her job was about there, not like the young and skinny-to-bones Lieutenant she met the night before.

Laura noticed he was studying her well with a questioning look ''are you up to the base?'' he asked.

''Yeah, why?''

''Well…'' Dick gave her a last inspecting look ''do you intend to come over dressed up like that?''

Laura looked down her pressed black suit ''what's wrong with that?''

''Uhm, nothing'' the young Lieutenant shook his head and Laura could bet she noticed a short, amused smile by him ''Listen, let me give you a tip: you're going to enter in a military area, this means you're be surrounded by a mass of soldiers who hadn't seen a woman for a little while so… a skirt is not a very good idea, it may cause some unpleasant comments. And we don't want them to, do we?''

Laura figured out he was right, and the same time that she had to say goodbye to all her suits that she paid through the nose.

''Thank you for the tip, Dick'' she nodded at him and took her last sip ''with your excuse'' she said formally, and gave him a short smile before going back to her room, trying to find some more appropriate clothes to put on.


	2. Chapter 2

_First of all, thank you Crazyforkasey for the review ! However, the ''outfit'' problem will be cleared in this chapter, as in the previous one Laura had just entered in this ''new world''. So, here we go with this new one :)**  
**_

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Laura discovered soon that walking to the base was not the greatest idea she had ever had; she didn't even take the Lieutenant's advice and stayed in her suit whose tightness made every movement difficult to do. When she arrived eventually, her feet hurt as hell. And as if that wasn't enough, she was late; she had a meeting with the Colonel she met the day before, in the same building, but the fact was she could not remember where the building was located and noticed that they all looked identical.

''Perfect'' she whispered to herself, looking at her wristwatch. She gave a look around, since asking someone where Sink's office was seemed to be the only possible solution. She was just spoilt for choice: the base pullulated of young soldiers. She decided to ask a group of three soldiers, probably involved in some funny conversation since they were splitting their sides laughing quite loudly.

''Excuse-me'' she said, trying to catch their attention. One of those men, with broad shoulders, black hair and an high-spirited smirk, turned around to face her.

''What's up, sweetie?''

''Excuse-me'' she repeated again ''I'm looking for Colonel's Sink office, would you mind telling me where it is?''

The man bit his lips and gave her an alluring gaze, probably already seeing a chance of flirting.

''Baby, wouldn't you prefer to see my office instead?'' he said. Laura was quite annoyed at the little game since she was already too late for that, but her attitude gave her away and decided to take the game.

''Darling'' she said '' I see you're a Sergeant and…don't take it too bad, I prefer an Colonel's office instead. I guess It must be bigger than yours.'' she said haughtily, winking. The Sergeant was probably taken aback from her reply, that probably hurt him inside a bit. In that moment, another man of the group made a step towards her. He was shorter than the other one but seemed very respectable. He gave the Sergeant a loud slap behind his neck.

''Excuse-him, ma'am'' he said politely ''he hasn't learnt how to behave yet, but don't worry, we're working on it'' he chuckled at that and gave the Sergeant a look of rebuke ''Sink's office is not so far from here. if you want, I could take you there.''

''Oh, awesome! Thank you very much…uhmm''

''Sergeant Lipton, but you can call me Carwood.''

''Thank you very much, Carwood.''

Lipton nodded at the group in salute and set out with Laura for the Colonel's office.

''You didn't tell me what your name is, ma'am.''

''Oh, right. I'm Laura Taylor'' she cleared her voice ''lawyer''. Lipton gave her a questioning and surprised look at that.

''Lawyer?'' he exclaimed ''did our Colonel put himself in some kind of trouble?''

She snorted at that and replied playfully ''No, not at the moment. At least, this is what I know.''

Lipton stopped in front of a massive building made of orange bricks and with a big wooden door.

''This is the regimental headquarter. You'll find Sink's office inside'' he said, gently chuckling at her.

''Thank you again, Carwood.''

''Oh, you're welcome. And, whenever you need something, come to me'' he said, patting on her back and leaving her alone in front of the building. She made her way in, a bit frustrated since she had never been a latecomer. Finding Sink's office inside was not a big deal and, knocking sheepishly had the door, she wondered how she could've excused herself for the lateness. When a strong voice, which she recognized as Sink's one, ordered to enter, she opened the door swallowing hard. Sink was behind his desk while five men stood all around it.

''Laura, we were waiting for you.''

''I'm sorry, sir. I had some troubles finding your office.''

''Don't worry about that'' he said smiling at her, making her a sign to sit at the chair right in front of her. She found all those eyes on her and felt a bit uncomfortable, but adjusting her glasses on her nose, she tried to show no hesitation.

''So, Laura. Let me introduce you to a part of our staff. Here's Lieutenant Colonel Streyer, commanding officer of the second battalion, Major Horton, Captain Sobel, E company's CO and, lasts but not leasts, Lieutenants Nixon and Hester, just promoted to the battalion's staff.''

They all nodded gently at her in salute, while she noticed the Captain was quite reluctant at her view.

''So, without other ceremonies, let's get to the facts. I had a call with General Taylor this morning, discussing your position here. As far for your job here, I guess you already know what it is about'' he paused to assure she was, and she nodded in agreement ''Good. What's left to point out, is your position. We agreed to give you a military rank. You'll be Second Lieutenant Taylor. As part of this Regiment, Lieutenant, you'll be trained as a paratrooper and receive the basis you need to have. This means you'll train with the rest of the non-combatant units. Understood?''

Laura was not so enthusiastic at that. She had never been an ace P.E. during the High School years, and she guessed that all those years of smoking would've weighted during her running. She nodded anyway, since she knew those measures were necessaries.

''Is it all, sir?'' she asked. Sink gave the men a fast look. ''Uhm, no, not really. But first. Sirs:'' he said, staring at the Lieutenant Colonel ''would you mind leaving my office? You're discharged.''

''Yes sir'' he replied, giving a look to the rest of the men. one by one they left the office and Laura was all alone with the Colonel, who was staring into space.

''Sir?'' she tried.

''Lieutenant, Laura'' he said, now moving his eyes on her ''I don't really have much to say. Just… watch out. You may have your first assignment very soon'' he said, quite concerned.

''Really? What's this about, sir?'' she asked, feeling her eyes twinkling for the excitement and leant a bit more toward the Colonel.

''I can't tell you now, but you'll be informed when you have too'' he said, changing his expression into a more confident one ''I'm just telling you to keep your eyes open.''

Laura could not really tell why the Colonel had to be so baffling. It was her job, what was the point in hiding it?

Sink told her she had the right to an office, which was located in that same building. When she was about to leave his office, he called her name again.

''Laura, as a Second Lieutenant, you'll be given an uniform'' he said, giving a fast glance to how she was dressed up ''I don't think suits are appropriate for a military base.''

Leaving his office to reach hers, she cursed herself once again. She should've listened to the Lieutenant's advice.

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The uniform was soft on her skin and she thought it was not so bad at all. It was a big large on her legs, but she liked the way she looked with it. However, when she left her own office to get back home, she felt uncomfortable with herself, wearing that uniform that didn't fit her role at all.

Miss Barnes gave her the key of the house, so she just got in without knocking. She looked around and suddenly heard a voice, speaking at intermittence. Following it, she found Lieutenant Winters sat on the couch and realized that voice came from a radio.

''Good evening Laura'' he said kindly smiling at her and noticing the uniform ''guess you're one of us, now.''

Laura gave a frustrated look to the brown or green fabric that was meant to be her clothing for God knew how much ''well..yeah'' she sighed.

''How was your first day then?'' he asked, making her a sing to have a sit next to her. Laura put her bag on the floor and sheepishly sat by Dick's side.

''Boring. I had a meeting with Sink this morning, who introduced me to some officers and gave me some instructions about my job there'' she wrinkled, still thinking of how Sink looked so mysterious ''uh, and he told me I have to train with the other non-combatant units'' she said, clearly not excited at the idea.

''That's fantastic!'' he exclaimed, as she gave her a gaze and a snort of mockery.

''You think? I'm not really keen on physical activity.''

''Really? I love it.'' he said with his eyes twinkling ''And I'd love it even more if it weren't for my CO'' he pointed.

''Why d'you say that?''

''Oh…he gives us all hell. I understand why he pushes us to our limits, but he can't be so unfair sometimes. And,'' he added, lifting a finger ''he's a total mess when it comes to reading maps, or leading a company in a night maneuver. He's only good at abusing of his rank.'' he stated, leaving that mockery tone and using a more concerned one.

''Oh,'' she said ''You know, I think I may do you some good. Since you say he abuses of his rank, I may report…''

''No!'' he roughly interrupted ''no, forget what I said. It's all ok'' he added with more quietly.

Laura gave him a questioning look and decided to not insist on it, since she noticed his eyes colouring od a dark shade and his face going dour. A silence that seemed to last for a lifetime followed his words, and Laura found herself nervously grabbing her knees. Dick noticed how uncomfortable she was, and gave her a short but gentle smile. In that moment, they heard the door slamming and the curly, blond Lieutenant entered in the living room.

''Goddammit!'' he said, unbuttoning his shirt and giving Dick an exhausted look ''You have no fucking idea what Sobel put me through today!''

Harry started to explain how Sobel, that Laura supposed to be their CO, had him rushing here and there since he could not find the last maneuver's report, accusing him of losing it. Laura guessed that this tyrant was not only Dick's problem and she already knew where to start from the next day, finding some infraction to the Military code.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, here's some problem for our Easy men, and for Laura and Dick too. Things are going to get more interesting from here (I hope so at least hahaha). So, here we go with Chapter 3. **

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Dick stood at attention with his men all in line behind him, staring at Sobel going from one side to the other, with clenched fists and his eyes wide open, deciding who was going to be his next victim. Dick's attention went to a small, slender shape in the distance, clearly observing the group. The undefined shape got closer of some steps, so that it could have a better view, adjusting the glasses on the nose. Dick could not clearly figure who the figure was, and what it exactly was doing, but all of sudden he found Sobel at an inch far from his nose, shouting at him ''Lieutenant Winters, is this the way you think you can lead a platoon?'' Dick stared at him showing no hesitation and just replied ''sorry sir''. Sobel gave him one last glance and got back to his inspection. Meanwhile, the figure got so close that Dick could clearly see who it was, and found himself grinning at his teeth. Now moving towards them, Laura firmly held a scratch pad in her hands. Now, all the men were staring at her and Sobel found himself turning to see what they had to look at.

''Lieutenant Taylor'' he started ''shouldn't you be training instead of distracting my Company?''

Laura made a step forward him, and Sobel found himself looking down to the young woman who was now studying him well.

''Captain Sobel, my job comes first. And my job here is to detect any infraction provided for your military penal code'' she firmly stated, then gave a fast look to the men behind them, whose eyes were all on her ''Now, Captain Sobel, I was informed of your abuse of position and thought I should've checked by myself'' she added, giving him a look of challenge. His eyes went even wider and turned around to give a look to his men.

''And who would've given you this absurd information?''

''This is none of your business'' she playfully chuckled at him ''sir.'' Still with that clever smile printed on her lips she added ''oh, behave like I'm not here. I'm just here to watch, you know.'' Laura gave him her back to made some step away from the group, as she gave him a nod to carry on with what he was doing. Studying his every move she found out that he was putting on a mask, trying to seem as polite as he could, making her smirk at that. She gave also a fast look to Dick who was staring at her too and she noticed he had an aggravated expression on his face. Laura went back to analyze the Captain and, considering that her presence there was being meaningless since he kept on doing nothing but his job, she decided to leave, to check the other company's activities.

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She didn't expect Dick to welcome her with flowers and all his gratitude. But that was her job and he had to let her do it. As the day before, she found him on the couch, listening to the news. As he noticed her presence he gave her a fast, but killing glare and kept his attention back to what the speaker was saying.

''Good evening, Dick'' she tried, waiting for his reaction. Dick didn't even dare to look at her, clearly blazing in anger.

''Look, Dick, I'm doing what I was asked for'' she eventually stated, trying to justify her actions of that day. Now Dick switched the radio off and got up to walk over to her. Laura could feel his heavy breath right on her face, and his wrathful eyes that were making her feel like a little child ready to scolded.

''What the hell goes through your mind, uh?'' he barked, as she made a step behind instinctively.

''I told you I was just doing my job'' she remarked.

''Your job? And what about _our _job?'' he pointed ''Did you realize you made us slow our training?'' he paused, maybe waiting for an answer from her ''oh, not considering how Sobel gave us hell after you left!''

She now looked at him curiously waiting for him to tell her what the Captain did. ''What did he do then?''

''He revoked all men's weekend passes. You happy with that?'' he asked sarcastically and, as he suddenly figured out he leaked something he shouldn't have, he added ''and what are you going to do now? Reporting to Colonel Sink?''

''Well…''

''Don't even try to!'' he shouted at her, even angrier ''Shouldn't you think of some real crimes instead making those poor guys' lives even harder?''

Laura felt a sense of guilty rising her heart which she washed away soon, as she knew _that _was the task she accepted and the reason she was there.

''Lieutenant'' she started, with scolding voice ''I don't think you must be the one to explain me my job.''

''Maybe, what I know is that your job here is totally senseless, purposeless and stupid, and I don't really get why the hell you are here'' he still shouted, feeling his eyeball going out from his orbits.

Laura caught a chance to win the quarrel and with her stoic, often annoying, snobbishness, she pointed ''well, it's not so new to me, you know. You're just a Lieutenant, a poor soldier taking orders that he doesn't really understand, all pumped to fight a war he doesn't know how it started, killing those that somebody else called ''enemies''. You know, soldiers just don't have to think too much'' she said with a blink of her eye and, seeing how astonished he got at those words, she knew the argument had come to an end and gave him her back to go to her room. As she was at the door, she turned around to face him.

'Uh, just for your information: what I did today was not meant to help you. Again, I was just doing my job. Goodnight, soldier.'' She saluted.

Her words were still heaving on Dick's soul. He knew how the war burst out, obviously, but what he also knew was that part of what she said was true: he was about to kill normal people that someone else claimed to be enemies. Dick ran both his hands over his face, starting to feel a sense of guilty as well. She was just doing her job, as he was about to do too, and felt like a total ass.

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Laura decided to get up earlier, as she could avoid to meet someone in the house that she clearly didn't want to see. Before leaving the house, she gave a look to the mirror to check how she looked in the uniform, since she had not had the chance yet to do so. It definitely was too large on her tiny legs. It simply didn't fit her at all. She found herself gazing at her figure for some minutes, contemplating that she would've worn that uniform for the rest of the war. She sighed inwardly, cursing the day she had seen a great opportunity in the job her uncle offered to her.

''Girls, puah, always checking out the outfit before going out to stitch us up.''

The annoying, high-pitched voice of the young blond skeleton took her back to the reality, as she grinned her teeth.

''Harry, it's 6 a.m so I'll pretend I didn't hear your chauvinist and completely worthless comment'' she said harshly.

Harry harrumphed at that, still giving her a challenging look ''Guess you had many friends back home, uh?'' he said, while she was already half out of the door. She stopped, like something had painfully hit her in the back, and turned around to give one last glare to the young Lieutenant, still waiting for her next shot; she snorted, giving him a killing look and rushed out of the house.

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As the lunch time came, Dick, Harry and Lewis took seat at a table near the window that seemed to be always booked for them. As they started eating, Harry asked Lewis ''So, Intelligence officer, some hot news at the base?'' he said curiously.

''Oh yeah'' Lewis replied, without even swallowing his mouthful as answering was a matter of life or death ''everybody's talking about the show that your new house mate put up yesterday with Sobel'' he said smirking, and visibly pleased to have that lovely picture in his mind, even though he was not there.

''She was completely out of mind, unbelievable'' Dick said, showing his still burning anger and irritation.

''Oh, c'mon Dick!'' Lewis exclaimed ''it must've been some amusing show to see. Can you believe that? Sobel getting beaten up by a woman?! Oh men, I wished I was there too'' he added, euphoric at the idea.

''Are you serious, Lew? Sobel punished us all revoking our weekend passes for five weeks!'' Dick replied vehemently, clearing not understanding how his friend could be so superficial.

''So what? None of your men is complaining and they're all just laughing their butts thinking of Sobel's face'' as he said that, he noticed Dick's look of incredulity, still thinking that those behavior had to be isolated, and not praised instead. Lewis stared at Dick, nervously messing up with his soup.

''Don't be too harsh on her. She was just doing her job, I don't think she meant any problem.''

''Lew, you don't know her, she's completely unapproachable'' Harry pointed out ''She just takes everything as an offense! You must've seen her this morning'' he added ''oh, that was a hell of a show! I definitely succeeded in shutting her I-know-it-all mouth. I felt like winning a war'' he exclaimed, visibly proud of his actions. Dick now gazed at Harry, waiting for him to add some more details.

''So'' he said, when he didn't seem them coming ''what did you tell her?'' he asked interested. He still had in his mind the way she behaved with him the last night, and he would've been probably fond of hearing how she was handled, just once.

''Just told her that there were no wonders about her private life before coming here, supposed that she had no friends back in the States considering her temperature.''

''Just this?'' Dick pointed with his eyes wide open, clearly surprised it took so little to destroy her ego.

''Yeah'' Harry said, still goofing for how he handled her.

''You guy are crazy'' Lewis exclaimed ''This girl found herself in the middle of a war, from the other side of the world, far from her family and friends as we all do here, and you're giving her hell? Where' humanity in all that?'' he pointed, hanging his gaze especially at Dick. Lew always considered his friend a good man, humble, good-hearted and a gentleman, and gave him a look of disapproval, since he would never expect such callousness by him.

''Humanity? I'm telling she's devilish! Just think she started to yell at me for just touching her staff.''

''Well, it's not that you can touch everyone's staff as nothing, you know'' Lew pointed and then had his eyes on Dick again who seemed to be all taken by his thoughts.

''What are you thinking of?''

''Maybe I was a bit harsh on her, scolding her so much yesterday'' he admitted frankly ''but, she also started to tell me that I was just a stupid soldier and that I don't know anything about war, or about who's behind it and that…'' Dick paused, having those words still vivid in his mind that hurt as hell ''and that I was about to kill people that some other claimed as my enemy.''

''Well, sorry to bring you with your feet on the earth, Dick, but that's true'' Lewis only added and then nervously looking out the window, as his words hurt him too.

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Although, she made it through the day without meeting a certain redhead Lieutenant. Unfortunately, the same Lieutenant shared an house with her and she was already devising a way to just slip in the house without nobody noticing her. As she arrived at The Barnes, she found herself reluctant at getting in, fearing of finding already there. She made a few step nervously and decided to think of the better way to get in while having a smoke. She hadn't smoked since her depart from the States and the smoke felt like filling her completely. She breathed in heavily and literally felt her muscles relaxing. She hadn't been by herself with her thoughts for such long time. Breathing in, breathing out, thinking of everything and nothing at the same time. Just a few days had passed, and she already wanted to get away. As she ran both her hands over her face, she saw two shapes walking over her. Harry had a grin on his face and was playing with his keys in his hands and didn't even greet her when he stepped close to her. Dick was some steps behind him. Laura pretended he was invisible, not even giving him a look. All of a sudden, she saw him bending down on his knees, at an inch far from her face.

''You shouldn't smoke'' he said calmly.

Laura gave him an harsh look, clearing not understanding how he dared commenting her habits.

''So, you judge my job and also my vices. Uhm, and who are you? A divine judge? '' she said wryly, visibly annoyed that he was even talking to her, just acting like her mum.

''Ok, I deserve that'' he replied, nervously chuckling at her ''and, by the way, as far as it's concerned for what happened yesterday… Look, I was a total ass. I had a bad day and…''

''So what? You had a bad day and just decided to wash your frustration away over somebody else? Very mature, Lieutenant.''

''Hey, I'm trying to apologize, ok?'' he asked with his voice sounding a tad desperate. As he assessed that she was not going to interrupt him, he added ''…as I was saying, I had a bad day. Things with my CO are never easy, and what you did caused to all of us more problems. Anyway, you're right: this is your job… I have no excuses for not letting you do it'' Dick paused, looking at her blue eyes which were now inspecting him carefully, as she was trying to catch some sarcasm in his words. He felt himself almost freezing under them: big, blue eyes, which looked even bigger seeing them through her glasses. Considering how skinny, short and pale she was, Dick thought that she must've been so fragile, so vulnerable.

''That's all?'' Laura said, noticing he started to stare at her weirdly.

''No…'' he said, but didn't even try to carry the words out, too focused on how small her face was, how her blue eyes seemed like ice, how pale she looked. Laura looked at him, having a fish face, and lighted heself another cigarette. Dick suddenly came back to earth and made some steps away from her but still staying near, waiting for her answer.

Breath in, breath out. She hid a wisp behind her ear, always repeating to herself with no sense at all: breath in, breath out, inhaling that intoxicating smoke that she felt burning on her lips.

''I accept your apologizes, Dick. And…anyway, I was a every bit as harsh as you were. I said…''

''The truth, you only said the truth'' Dick replied, then looking down at his feet, turning suddenly less confident and more aggravated. Laura was still studying his movements, as she recognize that he already knew those things, and she didn't have to remind them to him once again.

''Well…I should have not said them. I have this bad tendency to tell everything that passes through my mind even when I should just shut up. I can't really accept to lose a quarrel, I always have to fight till the end and this is a…'' she stopped talking, seeing Dick chuckling at her with no apparent reason. She first looked at him confused, and a bit peeved since he was having fun while she was trying to apologize to him, and it was so difficult for her; then, his contagious smile made her definitely laugh as well, losing her train of thoughts. Laura could not explain herself why they were chuckling at each other like total fools. Dick had just found her way of talking, so steady and so direct, very funny, and a tad bit nice, lovely; the way she moved her lips fast, forgetting to take a breath every word in a while. He was sure it was the signal that they all got it wrong on her; she was not so tyrannical, aloof and unapproachable like Harry and him thought. He realized it was just a cover, and from the way she was talking to him he could guess she was ill-at ease with the others; in fact, he definitely could feel her anxiety in talking to him in the way she was behaving. He had to admit that, thinking of the words that Harry told him he said to her, and of anxious she looked, he was actually feeling sorry for her.

''Ok, Lieutenant Winter, so…what happens next?'' she said, trying to collect herself.

''Well…'' Dick made a look of seriously thinking about it and then, suddenly, he gave her a pat on her hand, making the half-finished cigarette fall ''Now, we'll try to solve your smoking problem'' he said playfully, while she was trying with all herself to look furious, but again for no reason, the smile came back to bright her face.

''Seriously, it's time for dinner. We should get in, or Harry will think we're having a punch-up'' he said, pointing at the door as she got up. Meanwhile, they heard a voice apparently coming from the sky, as a divine revelation, saying:

''Hey, I was here all the time and… what did you have to laugh about? You looked like total nuts.''

As they caught a bunch of blond curls at the window, they just smiled at each other, still looking like nuts.


	4. Chapter 4

**I took my time to write this chapter; I tried hard to be more accurate, especially in the descriptions. I hope I succeeded in ! (Just remember I'm not a native speaker, hehe). Anyway, here it is! I hope you like it, since I struggled hard to write it and, if you have some free time, I'd enjoy your reviews. Thanks :) **

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Training was hard. As she had thought, years of smoking for too much anxiety and running made her training a real suicide; or homicide, since Lieutenant Fox, the one who was following the non-combatant units in training, used to push them to the limit, yelling orders here and there, allowing reluctantly a break every one hour and half. What was even harder, it was being always invited by the nurse of the group to sit with them in the mess hall. Laura could not simply refuse to, since it may have seemed a bit impolite and she had no one to sit with anyway. She spent her lunch breaks surrounded by women on their 24's or 25's, who were supposed to save lives during the war, and that forgot to eat what they had in their dishes just to gossip on whoever their eyes caught. They all looked so ridiculous, making inappropriate comments about the shape of their patients' butts, instead of actually learning how to give them an injection. Laura just kept the silence for the whole time, snorting when the comments started to turn too awkward. Sometimes, one of them would've asked her what she thought about _that guy_'s hands, or arms, or legs, just to hear her replying: ''I don't really give about it.''

It was one of those days, when they were all focused on giving their impressions on whoever entered the mess hall's door.

''Have you seen doctor Roe? He helped me a lot today. Goddammit, that smile!'' the blonde one in front of Laura said with dreamy eyes.

''Smile? Have you seen those arms? God, he must push-ups a lot!'' the robust brunette next to her exclaimed. She was supposed to be the older and more experienced one among them. Then, she added, '' Which surely helps him a lot under the sheet'' she pointed, as it was a scientific axiom, provoking general, low giggles at the table, followed by Laura's snort. The brunette noticed it, and gave her a glance, asking her ''and what about you, Laura? Haven't you set your eyes on someone yet?''

Laura found herself really, and oddly, thinking about it, but then as the brunette noticed it, sending her a knowing look, as Laura immediately shrugged and denied it.

''Are you serious?'' the brunette kept teasing ''with those two Lieutenants you live with?'' she asked, hoping to get some delicious detail from Laura. She just snorted in mockery, as it was the most stupid idea she'd ever heard.

''I like Winters. He looks so shy! I love the shy types. They're always so quiet in the everyday life but wait to get more intimate and they're like lions!'' the brunette exclaimed, meeting the other nurses' the consents. Laura just pictured in her mind Dick Winters in such situation. At first, already feeling like a brother, or a close friend since they lived together and managed to live in peace, she was kind of disgusted at the idea. But… No. Disgusting. So inappropriate.

''Well, since you don't want to use the chance, I will do it'' the brunette declared. Laura could not really control herself from making a face, which clearly seemed of disapproval, that she soon hid. She could not explain herself what she was feeling at the moment. Maybe it was just the way that brunette talked: it was too obscene. Maybe it was more. Maybe Laura was peeved at the idea of that brunette hanging around her Dick. No, Dick. It was not the kind of woman she imagined Dick with. Laura thought Dick was the kind of man that wanted to discuss books with his girl, as he liked reading very much, or important topics. She didn't think he was the one-night-of passion type. And he was way more smarter than that brunette. Clotilde. A nurse on her 26's; she was clearly disproportionate since she was skinny, but had very fat hands. No, she was not his type.

''Do you know if he has a boyfriend, Laura?'' Clotilde asked.

''Actually not. I don't think so, anyway'' Laura replied directly.

''Perfect'' the nurse said, with a smirk on her face staring at Dick Winters who was some tables away from them ''Maybe I should make a try on him'' was all she said, before moving her attention to someone else who had just entered the mess hall, and leaving Laura all peeved and jittered at the sound of those words. Laura gave everyone a sheepish smile, getting up and greeting all, using the excuse she had ''stuff to do''. Visibly upset, she left the mess hall, giving Dick a small nod in salute when she passed near his table.

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Mr Barnes had given Laura a special ointment for her muscular ache. She was massaging her legs in her shorts on her bed, and thinking of the words that Clotilde spoke that day. She was still upset, absolutely. She was upset at the idea of that fat-hands woman giggling around Dick. How couldn't she see they were so different and that he would've never talked to her? No, maybe Dick would've talked to her; he was too polite to just run away from someone, even though that someone got annoying. So maybe he would have, but he would've not liked her. Surely. All caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even hear the knock on his door, so she almost fell from her bed when she saw Dick in her room.

''Sorry'' he said ''But in my defense, I knocked on your door a few times'' he continued chuckling. She smiled back to him in response and kept on massaging her aching legs as he walked over to her to sit on her bed.

''Sorry if I'm asking'' he said, chuckling ''but what are you doing?'' he asked studying her movements and visibly amused.

''Oh…this'' she said ''Well, my training has proved itself physically demanding. I'm so sore all over that I can't find the time to do what I'm here for. I haven't checked the situation for a little while. I'm always too sore or too busy running upside-down'' she said, turning a bit frustrated and aggravated.

Dick looked tenderly and emphatically at her ''well, you don't need to practice for your real job, at least. As far as I know, you're very good at. But you'll need all this training when the time will come'' he said, trying to reassure her and to make her understand the importance of what she was doing.

''I know, I know. I just…I just would like doing my job. You know, what I've studied for'' she replied, still visibly frustrated ''Anyway… I've never enjoyed physical movement. It's hell to me'' she said playfully to soften the blow of her words and trying to stray from such topic.

''Really? So don't you like sports ?''

''No, definitely!'' she said, with the features of her face visibly relaxing and a much more good-natured tone ''I hate them all. Except for swimming. I love swimming'' she pointed with a dreamy look in her eyes, reminiscing the old times when she was nothing more than a little girl, and she used to swim in a lake located in town where her family spent the holidays, feeling the cold water on her skin and the fishes swimming next to her, tangling with her legs.

''Really? I love swimming too'' he replied, eluted by the fact they had something in common.

''Oh yes. I used to take some swimming lessons when I was a baby. I liked swimming, it made me feel so free. You can do whatever you want in the water, everything, since there's no gravity. I used to pretend to be a dolphin'' she said, with her eyes still twinkling at the memory. Dick could not help himself from smiling at the view of that woman with dreamy and nostalgic eyes, and a tender, dazzling smile that lit her face.

''Listen'' he said, clearing up his throat '' There's a swimming pool at the base and…''

''Really?'' Laura exclaimed, visibly surprised and eluted at the news.

''Yes'' Dick said, chuckling and inexplicably not being able to find the words. He felt his cheeks burning and knew they were probably turning as red as his hair ''we should go, if you want to.''

''Yes!'' she exclaimed, happy as a child on Christmas day.

''Perfect…so, get ready. We move in thirty minutes, ok?'' he asked, getting up from the bed and already walking over to the door.

''What? Do you really want to go now?''

''Yes, what's wrong with that?'' he asked forcing himself to smirk, but inwardly fearing she could decline.

''Well, it's too late. The base must be closed and…''

''Well'' he interrupted her ''Since the base is closed we'll be free to swim with no one disturbing us, don't you think?''

Laura smiled sheepishly at him even though she didn't know why. The idea of the two of them alone, swimming, made her feel quite uncomfortable but she accepted anyway, as an unknown force was controlling her actions.

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''Here we are'' Dick said, standing some meters away from the water in his swimming trunks. The lights were off, but Laura could see the water still twinkling, lighted by the moonlight that penetrated through the big windows. As she was almost enchanted by the clarity of the water, she stood next to Dick with her mouth a little opened, studying the big swimming pool. Dick turned to face her, noticing how visibly eluted she was.

''I've always dreamed to swim alone in a pool. With no one around, no swimming instructor telling you what to do, you know'' she said almost whispering, as she was speaking to herself.

''Your wish is granted now'' he said, smiling at her ''so, what are you waiting for? Should I throw you in the water?'' he said playfully, receiving a smile from her followed by a bad glance that said ''don't dare to''.

She took off her shirt and trousers revealing the black swimsuit she was wearing. It covered most of her body, pressuring a little bit on her breasts. Dick found himself unable to look away, captivated by the small figure that was standing next to him. She was slender but her legs and shoulders seemed to be muscular, surely trained by the years she said she spent taking swimming lessons. Dick very struggled to look away, feeling the heat on his cheeks, but she wasn't noticing him since she was still too absorbed in admiring the water. As she made a step forward the pool, Dick came to his senses and watched her sitting on the poolside. The water was cold on her thin legs thus she hesitated for a little while before diving into. Then, she slowly slipped into the cold water, freezing a little bit before she could adjust to the temperature. While Laura finally started to swim, Dick stood now on the poolside, his bare foot a bit wetted by the water. He just enjoyed the view of that little figure, that he often saw so austere, acting like a child, turning somersaults, diving even more to touch the bottom of the pool, then coming up fast to the surface, swimming here and there, free as a fish in the ocean. It was a delightful to see. Dick found himself musing about the innocence and the secureness she could find in that pool: the memories of her childhood, the memories of a time when child didn't even know the meaning of war.

''Dick'' she cried ''come on! The water is beautiful!'' she exclaimed, before diving again to swim some inches away from the bottom of the pool. Dick threw his towel somewhere far from the water and repeated the moves Laura made prior to sinking into the water. It was not so cold on Dick's skin, mainly because he spent all his childhood swimming at the lake, whose water reached icy temperatures, and he liked swimming also during the winter. He sank into it very soon, staying away from Laura anyway. Dick didn't know what was proper to do: had he to reach her? Just to play in the water like children? As though they were not children; they were both grown-up, a woman and a man, and Dick didn't want to cross the line, doing something he was not supposed to do. It was in the air, in the mood. A woman, and a man, being alone in a swimming pool, at night. Alone. Dick could not clearly explain why he felt the urge to reach her, and just giving up to what his body and mind were demanding. The question was, he didn't know why. Sure she was a beautiful woman: fair skin, slender; long and black hair in contrast with her big, blue icy eyes; a small tip-tilted nose was covered by freckles, just like her cheeks, and a full, red mouth, also in contrast with her pale face. Sure, he had noticed it before, but those thoughts never crossed his mind. And now, he found himself almost clung to the poolside, deciding what to do, what not to. And in her re-found innocence, Laura swam over to him, as Dick felt an unknown heat fulfilling his whole body.

''What's wrong, Dick? You said you can swim!'' she teased him. Dick smiled sheepishly at her, as his body, without his permission, started to swim over to her too; as he came to his senses and found control over his body, he decided to just dive into the water to avoid the strict contact with Laura. The water moved his hair, and its freshness calmed down his heat. As he felt himself again in ''safe territory'', he came up to the surface gasping for air. Brushing his eyes, he found the young woman with a shrewd look at few inches far from his nose; he could've betted she could hear his heartbeats multiplying, pulsating strongly and loudly against his chest. As he felt her eyes all on him and noticed her mouth smirking in defiance, Dick felt a shiver running down his spine, and guessed it was not because the water.

''Do you know what I did to boys, when swimming all together?'' she asked in a teasing tone. Dick swallowed hard, trying to figure out what the hell she did when she swam with boys, struggling to not let his thoughts stray too far, picturing imaginary calloused hands on her fair, soft skin. Dick swallowed even harder as he noticed Laura was now dangerously close to him with that shrewd look of her still hanging on him.

''I drowned them!'' she exclaimed, crying it out loud as she put both her hands on Dick's head and used all her forces to make him sink completely into the water. Dick, who was still so thrilled, didn't react promptly and let himself sink down; then, he tried to drown Laura down with him. Dick and Laura found themselves fighting underwater as two kids and only when they could not take it anymore, they came up to the surface, just to keep on with their fight. The last thing Dick remembered was him, struggling to block her wrists while she was flailing. Anyway, somehow, they both realized, almost in the same moment, they were just a few inches far from each other, just like before the fight started, but Laura was trapped into Dick's arms, their bodies touching. Now, Dick thought, they were _dangerously close. _And once again, Dick lost control of his muscles, his body still demanding for some more contact, his head leaning forward, his eyes set on her cherry, tempting mouth. Dick gave a fast look to her eyes, just to pick up her dismay. But she was leaning forward him as well. Dick noticed both their breathes got heavy, both their heads were slowly leaning into each other, and realized Laura felt just the way he did: as though she had lost control of her body which was eager to feel his lips. And so, Dick had enough of struggling against what was proper to do, as he now felt her breasts on his chest and just fiercely, lustfully but tenderly leant….

Blinding lights brightened the whole area. Dick's heart beat even faster, fearing the worst; some officers finding them there, in the night, all alone: that would be the end. Dick got away from Laura, still visibly confused and unable to move. Four shapes made their entrance out of a corridor, where the locker rooms were located. As Dick recognized his men, he sighed with relief.

The four stopped a few steps away from the poolside, astonished at the sight of their Lieutenant.

''Lieutenant Winters, sir!'' Private Popey exclaimed before unconsciously standing at attention.

''Guarnere!'' Dick yelled, managing to get out of the pool with an harsh look, proper to an Officer catching his men breaking the rules; and he made Bill's name, since Bill was the first that usually came up to his mind every time someone would break the rules.

''Sir!'' the Sergeant replied, but he did not repeated Popey's moves, and did not stand at attention; on the contrary, he looked at Dick in defiance, as he always did.

Dick gave the four an harsh look and then set his eyes on the robust Sergeant again ''Would you explain me why on earth you four gentlemen are in a closed military area?'' Dick asked in admonishment, inspecting the Sergeant. Bill didn't show any hesitation and just kept his well-known straight face.

''We thought we could relax here, Sir, as you are, I suppose'' the Sergeant replied wryly, smirking ''and with a woman, I see'' he resumed hastily, with a mockery look. ''Hello, lawyer!'' Bill waved to her. The three behind him, Popey Wynn, George Luz and Joey Toy caught sight of the female figure that was now swimming over the poolside but still staying into the water. The three could not just believe their eyes and struggled to keep from laughing at the idea of the flawless Lieutenant sneaking into a closed swimming pool, property of the U.S Army, during the night and with a woman, and they were already imagining how their fellows would react at the news. Bill had still his defiance look, knowing that he would win this one, and following Lieutenant's Winters moves, as he struggled to keep up an harsh look even though he was blazing in embarrassment. Dick gave a fast look to Laura who didn't dare to move.

''Ok'' Dick sighted, accepting his defeat ''I have seen nothing. I won't report anyone, and you can stay here, since no one saw anything. But, since I've never been here, you three won't say a word, ok?'' Dick proposed, hoping the three would not want to ruin him, and Laura. Before Bill could say a thing, George Luz made a step forward and patted on Dick's back, at which Dick glared at the Private ''word of honor, sir'' he said playfully. The three, even Bill nodded and gave their consent. Dick sighed in relief and prior to telling Laura it was obviously time to go, he resumed ''And, I'm sorry guys'' Dick said, visibly frustrated and horrified at the idea his men caught him while breaking the rules, for the very first time he did it, the same rules he demanded them to respect, and felt ashamed for he broke the confidence they had in him. The four perceived the grim look in his eyes and it was surprising to hear Bill saying ''Don't you worry, Sir. Everyone makes mistakes. You were just having fun, as we always do'' he said. That was because the Sergeant, who was always so eager to contest Lieutenant Winters' moves just because he perceived the Lieutenant as a God-wannabe, knew Winters was one of the best and he would've never, ever, tried to ruin him: Bill just wanted his little revenge for all those times Winters had looked at him in admonishment. Dick gave him a small smile and saluted the group and the took the towel he had thrown to cover Laura's body, who was now getting out of the pool. She visibly quivered in cold and embarrassment and gave a fast look to the four soldiers, noticing a smirk on the impudent Sergeant she met some days previously, and knowing she had just given him a big satisfaction.


End file.
